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Feeding Babies Eggs Sooner May Cut Allergy Risk, Study Suggests
- June 9, 2026
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
Feeding babies egg early in their lives can lead to a decline in egg allergies, particularly among infants with eczema, a new study says.
Cases of egg allergy decreased in Australia within a decade of the nation adopting guidelines that recommend the introduction of egg to infants around 6 months of age, researchers reported June 8 in JAMA Pediatrics.
The decline was particularly profound in babies with early eczema, with egg allergies falling from nearly 35% to around 22% in recent years, researchers found.
“This study provides population-level evidence that updated infant feeding guidelines recommending earlier introduction of egg led to measurable reductions in the population prevalence of egg allergy,” concluded the research team led by Jennifer Koplin, an associate professor of childhood allergy and epidemiology at the University of Queensland in Australia.
“The findings suggest that guideline updates informed by randomized trial evidence may be associated with a reduction in food allergy prevalence when implemented effectively,” the team wrote.
A number of nations, including the United States, updated their allergy recommendations in the late 2010s to urge early introduction of foods known to cause allergies, including egg and peanut, researchers said in background notes.
Australia updated its guidelines in 2016 to recommend introduction of egg and other food allergens within the first year of life, they wrote.
For the new study, researchers compared more than 7,200 toddlers in Melbourne, Australia, who received their one-year checkup before (2007-2011) and after (2018-2019) the new guidelines were implemented.
Results showed a relative decline in egg allergy cases of nearly 18% after the guideline change, after adjusting for differences in demographics, researchers said.
These findings support the guideline changes, said Dr. Gina Coscia, an attending physician in allergy and immunology at Northwell Health in Great Neck, New York.
"What we know about the immune system is that if an allergen is introduced initially through skin exposure, the body actually produces an allergic response," Coscia said in a news release. “However, if the initial introduction of a food allergen is through oral exposure, through ingestion of the food, that actually produces a protective response to the allergen.
“That's actually the scientific basis for why early introduction of allergenic solids has been implemented so widely, because if you can target these infants with food in the mouth before it touches an impaired skin barrier, you can actually prevent food allergies,” she said.
The fact that babies with eczema had even greater benefits from early egg introduction only reinforces the point, Coscia added.
“We know that babies with eczema are a particularly vulnerable group to food allergies because of their impaired skin barrier,” she said. “So, seeing concrete evidence that this reduction in the prevalence of food allergy is even more pronounced in babies with eczema is so important because we have a specific group of patients that we can educate even more emphatically about the importance of early introduction.”
However, it is important that parents introduce food allergens under the guidance of a pediatrician, and that they make sure to consistently expose their children, Coscia said.
“We advise parents that early introduction of the allergen into the diet is key, but maintenance of this allergen several times a week is critical in order to remain tolerant to the food,” she said.
More information
The Cleveland Clinic has more on immunotherapy for food allergies.
SOURCES: JAMA Pediatrics, June 9, 2026; Dr. Gina Coscia, attending physician, allergy and immunology, Northwell Health, Great Neck, New York
